Harper Collins paperback, £5-99
Alexis has inherited his ancestor King Midas' golden touch, only in reverse... if he touches anything gold, it turns to common metal. And if he touches a golden statue, it comes alive. His mother died when he was young, so he rashly brought one of the beautiful statues on the Mausoleum to life to be his stepmother. But he can't do anything to bring back his father, whose body is found in the Mausoleum drains covered in strange black crystal. To make things worse, Alexander the Great's army is camped outside the walls of Halicarnassus, and nobody can get in or out of the city. With his home is under siege, Alexis enlists the help of Princess Phoebe to solve the mystery of his father's murder. In return the princess wants him to bring the statues in her monster collection to life, and one of them is the legendary fire-breathing Chimera.
I had a lot of fun writing this ancient murder mystery. Alexis' magic is based on the story of King Midas, a mythical king of that region who begged the gods to reverse his golden touch after he accidentally turned his daughter to gold. Midas died a happy man because the gods granted his wish and his daughter came back to life, but the magical gift she passed on to her children gets Alexis into a lot of trouble.
Read an extract HERE.
What they said...
"A vivid amalgam of murder, mystery and myth." Irish Times.
"Will delight anyone who likes fantasy and adventure with as much magic as you can imagine." Plymouth Sunday Independent.
"It's certainly different and a good read for 10+..." Newbury Weekly News.
"Enchanting young adult historical fantasy... what is particularly impressive about this book is the way Katherine Roberts manages to combine accurate historical fact with fantasy to make an entertaining read." Lesley Mazey, The Alien Online.
ASK THE UNICORN: Who was buried in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus? King Maussollos - a real king of that region who gave his name to his tomb. Because the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was so famous, people began to call other similar tombs mausoleums, and we still use this word today.